The winner of the 2017 Remodelista Considered Design Awards Best UK Interior is Tanya Vacarda for her Holywood Mid-Terrace House Revamp in Holywood, Northern Ireland.
Photography by Darren Hercher.
The project was chosen as the winner by Remodelista editor Julie Carlson, who said: “We’re so impressed by the owners’ ingenuity with this project; we especially like the kitchen, with its crisp black countertops and clever hanging utensil installation.”
“This is my own plaster work. I learned to create various decorative finishes, clad stone tiles, pour concrete floors, and render walls. My partner was great at taking down old plaster ceilings and cladding floors with wood.”
Tanya Vacarda’s Design Statement: “In 2013 we bought our first house, a 1970s mid-terrace: a typical social housing property with small rooms and low ceilings, heavily covered in layers of old wallpaper, plastic tiles, and stained carpets. We had no funds left but enthusiasm and my amateur aspirations.”
“The goal was to make the kitchen as spacious and functional as it was possible on the 12 square meters [129 square feet] with blocked window views. The layout was changed to move all appliances and the sink to one side, creating an ergonomic cooking zone, with plenty of room left for wining and dining on the other.”
Our street has a stunning view over the Louch Belfast and the other side of the bay.
“With my partner, we built ceiling-to-floor panels that fold to one side. When we are too lazy to clean, we just pull the panels out to hide the mess behind them, creating a quick party scene. The panels’ finish matches that of the wall behind.”
It all started with peeling off old wallpaper, so thick with layers of paint that it went down in heavy sheets together with the plaster, of course.
“Seamless, polished flooring and dark table surfaces were chosen because they are so easy to clean—a ‘must’ with our busy lifestyles, two dogs, and a boyfriend with allergies.” First, we were thinking along the lines of what one can find in a local DIY supplies store.
A company in England called Doorstuff helped with a suitable gear, and I created folding panes with two centimeter thick spruce boards, polished and finished in decorative plaster matching the wall finish behind.
“Muted monochrome color palette was a perfect backdrop for our passions and activities. I aimed for variety in texture and tactile effects with the use of metals, natural stone, concrete, glass, polished surfaces, and woods throughout the house.”
I love the clean look and how my guests react when they find out it is not just a mirror. Besides giving a view over the other side and having LED lights, the openings in the staircase found a surprise use by collecting notes, reminders, books, and cups that are lifted on the way back and forth.
“Keeping things simple and functional. Letting space breathe and minds rest.”
So it is important to remember that at the end of a day it is not the perfect finish and detailing in the house that makes your life beautiful, but the experiences of living and enjoying the place with your loved ones.
“My little tactility Zen corner. When we moved in, there used to be a built-in storage with massive wood paneled doors in this place.” To salvage some of the leftover wood and spruce boards, those were turned into wall paintings, like the one I have in the study room.
“Walls at the entrance were hand-painted to match a stripy pattern on the hall doors; my solution to playing around awkward ceiling beams. Seamless concrete floors were installed by hand throughout the entire ground floor. The flooring color made the old reused wood burner stand out.”
However, since I contracted an interiors bug, I have also been working on a qualification in interior design.
“This staircase replaced old rotting metal balustrades. The openings have LED lights fitted to guide a hungry soul to the kitchen in the dark of the night.” If I like something that I find inspiring, I will take a snap and keep it for development of future ideas.
I also come from the postmodern culture that was dominated by verbal means of expression; my first university degree was in literary studies, so it left its footprint on me.
“Clutter hidden away leaves plenty of room for imagination and sketching.” There is also Oscar & Joy shop, another treasure trove for lovers of Scandi style and minimalist design.